


Horizon Linked

by cup_of_comfort



Series: Horizon Linked [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha Gladio, Alpha Noctis, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Angst, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mafia AU, Mpreg, Omega Ignis, Rape/Non-con Elements, Soul Bond, bonded couples are mind-linked and share feelings, lots of prompto whump, omega Prompto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-03-22 04:46:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13756611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cup_of_comfort/pseuds/cup_of_comfort
Summary: In which only death, can do the body and soul apart.When Prompto, his bond-mate, is taken away by the Lucis Caelum Family's enemies, Noctis finds out that whoever takes him is using their link as a tool to hurt both of them. Now, it's a race against time for him to find Prompto, before both of them break down from the pain they share.





	1. abducted

**Author's Note:**

> kinkmeme deanon of this [prompt](https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/4398.html?thread=8623406#cmt8623406)!
> 
> please be warned that while i choose not to warn, i do add a rape tag in it. so... expect the worst.  
> this is different from what i usually write. i'm not entirely confident, but i showed it to my friends and they said it's good. and i like the world i build with this AU as well, so... hey, why not?
> 
> enjoy some massive whump... and comments are appreciated! ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ

_Two souls sharing one mind, a sacred bond where hearts twine. Nothing can be hidden from each other, a connection that is meant to last forever._

_In which only death, can do the body and soul apart._

_—_

Prompto hummed lightly as he waited for the stoplight to turn green, the grocery bag he held against his chest rustling slightly. The sun was starting to set down, and the clock on the huge LCD display in one of the buildings showed that it was time for the office workers to end their shifts and went home. The district was going to be packed in a few minutes.

He needed to hurry back to the Family’s headquarters. He had told Noctis that it would just be a brief trip to the market—he just needed a few more ingredients to make dinner—but ended up getting side-tracked. After all, he had a big announcement for Noctis tonight; Prompto couldn’t wait to see what kind of face his Alpha would make when he finally knew.

The streets were starting to fill up as people began pouring out of the buildings, and Prompto hastened his pace when the lights finally turned green, walking between the crowds. After a while taking his time to tread through the crowds, he finally decided to take a shortcut into the alleys to get to the main street where the headquarters building was faster. Normally, he wouldn’t take the alleys if he could—it wasn’t exactly a place Prompto liked much; dark, cold, and deadly quiet, in contrast with the main streets—but this time, he really needed to hurry so Noctis wouldn’t worry about him. Making his way through the people on the main street at this time would just delay him further.

The surroundings really creeped him out, but thankfully, after a short while, he could already see the end of the alley that opened up to the main street, and from there, he just had to walk for another block to reach the headquarters. However, as soon as he emerged from the alley, there was already someone waiting there and grabbed his arm forcefully, without warning.

Prompto yelped and dropped his groceries in surprise, trying to struggle free. He might be an Omega, but he _was_ the Omega of the head of strongest mafia family in Insomnia—there was no way he would let himself be dragged in so easily. He kicked his captor in the stomach, but the man—an Alpha, judging from the faint scent Prompto could smell—only tightened his grip on Prompto’s arm and pulled out a switchblade knife, pointing it at his throat.

“You struggle, you die,” he hissed, grimacing in pain as he came face-to-face with Prompto. Prompto gulped silently when the sharp, cold tip touched the skin. Perhaps it would be wiser if he had listened; but no, he wasn’t going to.

The Omega head-butted him square in the forehead hard, and his hold was released temporarily when the man fell backwards with a groan of pain. Prompto ran to the opposite way, attempting to escape, but there was another man blocking his way and then he was captured again.

“Let me go!” Prompto thrashed around, even trying to bite the man’s arm, but instead he received a punch to his left cheek. His visions wavered and he could taste blood in his mouth.

“This fucking _Omega_ ,” he could hear the first man snarled from behind, apparently already recovering from his head butt earlier.

“He’s the current Lucis Caelum head’s mate. What do you expect? You’re the one at fault for underestimating him,” the second man, a big hunk of muscles that could rival Gladio in figure, spoke. “Sedate him, man, before he kicks me too.”

A cloth was put over his nose and mouth, and Prompto tried struggling for the last time, but his mind was soon clouded and he was getting weaker and weaker, feeling himself falling apart as whatever drug they forced him to inhale started to work.

The last thing he thought before his consciousness slipped away completely—was that he couldn’t keep his promise to Noctis to get back home safely.


	2. feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's so much a/b/o traits adjustments i did here, but it'll take a whole chapter to explain and i absolutely don't want that, so... if you have any questions, just drop it in the comments, and i'll try my best to answer. /o/

“...Prom’s late...”

Noctis looked at the clock hung on his office wall with bored face. Today was another usual day in the Citadel—the Lucis Caelum Family’s headquarters—for him. Business deals going in and out, three important meetings to attend back-to-back, and then a mountain of paperworks waiting to be done.

As the current head of the biggest underground operation in the city of Insomnia, Noctis Lucis Caelum—the 114th heir to the Lucis Caelum Family—had to attend them all, and that pissed the Alpha to no end. The only thing that made him stay on his desk and at least pretend to do his work was because Prompto, his bonded Omega, had promised him that he would tell the Alpha something great once his work had been taken care of.

It’s been more than two hours since Prompto told him that he would run towards the market to pick up a few ingredients he needed to make dinner. Noctis had told him to take someone along to escort him, but his mate just laughed and said that he could take care of himself.

There was a knock on his door and Ignis, his right-hand man and the Family’s adviser, showed up with a clipped folder on his hand. “Noct, I’ve received a report that there’s been trouble at the west district.” He said. “A few of our men were attacked but unknown assailants, but there was no clue left behind to indicate who they are. However, I suspect this came from the Izunia Family again...”

Noctis groaned. “Can’t it wait, Ignis? I’m going crazy cooped in here after dealing with the clients. I bet Prom’s already waiting for me upstairs.”

Ignis’s Omega scent was tinted with slight irritation. “I checked your living quarters earlier, but I didn’t see Prompto, actually,” Ignis put the file down on his desk. “This is urgent. Just read the files at the meantime. I’m going to send more men to the west district and ask them to keep a cautious eye to the situation there.”

“Fine, just do whatever needs to be done. I trust you,” Noctis said, but then he eyed something on Ignis’s nape when the older Omega turned his back. It was mostly concealed beneath the collar of his shirt, but Noctis wouldn’t mistake it for anything else, because he had also created one on Prompto—a bonding bite. Even with his dulled sense of smell, he caught Ignis’s Omega scent changing into something sweeter, mixed with a hint of another Alpha’s scent.

He tapped on his own nape and quietly, so he wouldn’t startle the Omega, said. “...Igs. You’ve bonded?”

“...oh.” Ignis turned back to Noctis and quickly covered his nape with a hand. There’s a hue of pink on his adviser’s cheeks now. “I apologise.”

“Is it Gladio?”

Ignis’s flushing face told him everything he needed to know. The dark-haired man grinned and stood up, enveloping the older Omega in a hug. “Congratulations, Ignis. _Finally_. I’m happy for you.”

Ignis returned his hug, albeit a little awkwardly. Perhaps he was a little flustered as he didn’t expect Noctis to give him one. “Thank you... Noct.”

Noctis let go of his hold, but he was still grinning. “So is the surprise Prompto talking about is about you and Gladio? He doesn’t have to keep it from me... Although a celebration is in order, of course.” He patted Ignis’s shoulder giddily.

Ignis blinked in confusion. “No, we... just bonded last night, and we haven’t told anyone else. We do plan to announce it tomorrow, after everyone’s been gathering in the Citadel... Gladio’s inviting Iris, and I consider contacting Miss Lunafreya and Nyx, so... I’m positive whatever Prompto’s going to tell you is not about us.” He looked at the clock. “Where did he go?”

“He said he’s going to the market to pick up some ingredients, but that’s already two hours ago. If he’s not in our living quarters, then he might haven’t gone back home yet...” Noctis scrunched his eyebrows, worried.

“Try giving him a call.”

Noctis shook his head. “I did, but no one’s picking up. I traced the location and found out that he left his cell phone behind in our quarters when he went to the market.” The Alpha bit his lower lip. An unsettling feeling slowly built inside him; there was always this wariness when you were a mafia—being the head of the Family especially, of all things. It wasn’t a secret that the Lucis Caelum Family had made quite a large number of enemies over years, and the enemies tend to target not only him when seeking revenge, but also his loved ones; and Prompto wasn’t spared of it. He just hoped that the feeling was just a supposition, and nothing more.

Ignis seemed to sense his uneasiness. “Let’s put today’s work for tomorrow and go back to your quarters, Noct,” he tried to reassure him. “I’m sure Prompto is fine, perhaps running a bit late. The market is placed in the business district. There are quite a number of office buildings there, and at this time, people are getting out of work. It must have been really crowded over there.

“...alright,” Noctis nodded. He tidied his desk and put the remaining papers on plain sight, separating the ones he had looked over and the ones he hadn’t. “Ask someone to pick them up later. I’m going—“

His sentence was cut short when suddenly there was a feeling of _dread_ washed upon him. He stilled, his dark blue eyes widening. There wasn’t anything around him that could trigger such feeling, so why...?

Another came in, and now, it was _fear_. Cold, unrelenting _fear_ , that chilled him to the bone. He pressed a palm to his mouth, willing himself not to vomit here in his office, the other hand supporting himself on the surface on the desk so he wouldn’t fall down on his knees.

“Noct!” Ignis gasped and approached him, supporting his body. “Noct! Are you alright?”

Noctis panted. He didn’t hear Ignis talking; instead, his mind raced to connect the dots in between the waves of negative feelings that overcame him. If these feelings were not his, then it meant that they came from—

He sucked in his breath in realisation. The faint shapes of soft blond hair, bright blue eyes full of sunshine and smile, with freckles adorning pale cheeks suddenly flashed in his head and was gone in a blink of an eye. That one person who had never failed to brighten Noctis’s life ever since he first knew him; the one whom Noctis had promised his life and soul to.

— _Prompto_.


	3. reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suspense increasing...

His head hurt. His arms hurt. His cheek throbbed dully in pain, and hell, his whole body _hurt_.

Prompto stirred slowly as he regained his consciousness, trying to focus his vision. He blinked a few times, slightly panicking on why he couldn’t see anything before realising that it wasn’t him; it was his surroundings that were entirely dark. He was lying on something hard and cold and smooth—probably a concrete floor—and when he tried wiggling his arms around, he found out that they were bound together, and whatever that held them didn’t seem that it would yield so easily. His ankles were apparently on the same state as well.

He sighed and flopped back down. How long had he been out cold? What time was it? Judging from the faint moonlight that shone through the small window above, it must have been at least a few hours since he was abducted. Noctis was going to be worried sick of him by now. And although he was afraid, he couldn’t let his feelings influence him too much—bonded couples could share feelings with each other when projected strongly, and in his head, there was a slight anxiety already forming. It was Noctis’s, for sure.

Prompto heard a slam in the distance a short while after and he jolted in surprise, before the lights turned on suddenly, making him wince at the sudden brightness. There were footsteps slowly approaching him—one, two, perhaps three people—and when they unlocked the door of his cell bars and stopped in front of him, Prompto looked up, glaring.

“Hey, he’s awake.” Someone spoke up, prodding Prompto’s arm with his boots. Prompto grimaced when some of the mud stuck to his arm.

“Careful, buds, he bites,” another cackled, and the blond recognised him as the hunk of muscles who captured and punched him earlier.

“Hmm,” Boots stepped back. “Prompto Lucis Caelum, né Argentum... He’s not from the mafia?”

“Apparently not,” the third man spoke. He had a huge scar across his face, and unlike Gladio’s scar—Noctis’s personal Shield—it actually looked terrible on him. “He joins the Family after Caelum marries him. Look at that bonding bite on his nape; he doesn’t even cover them, what a show-off.”

“Fuck off,” Prompto spat out. “Which Family are you from? Whatever it is you want from abducting me, you won’t get it from Noct. He’ll find us soon enough once you contact him.”

The men all stared at Prompto before they barked out a laugh. “Very funny!” Boots howled. “He thinks we’re after _something_ in the Family.”

“That’s when you’re very, _very_ wrong, dear Omega,” Muscles smirked, and Prompto didn’t like his smirk at all. “We aren’t going to contact the Lucis Caelum Family, in fact. It’ll be very easy for them to track the phone call back to us, and no, we absolutely don’t want that.”

Something started to rise in Prompto’s chest, and he realised, it was his own _fear_ threatening to surface. “W-What are you—“

“You are the Omega of the Lucis Caelum’s head, no?” The third man—Scars, Prompto dubbed him in his mind—pulled on his hair to look directly to his eyes, and Prompto grunted in pain. “He has given you a bonding bite—and that means, you both are connected, both in mind and soul. His joy is your joy, and his pain, yours as well. The same can be said vice-versa, right?”

Prompto’s bright blue eyes widened in terror as the realisation slowly sank in. “Y-You don’t mean—“

“Our objective in the first place has always been whoever that becomes Noctis Lucis Caelum’s mate,” Scars grinned, showing rows of ugly teeth, blackened from tar remnants. His breath reeked of alcohol and tobacco so strong, Prompto wanted to gag. “He’s got guts—even if we caught him, breaking, hurting him won’t even give him the slightest dent. But what about if we hurt his _mate_? It’ll shatter him completely. Render him helpless. And guess what—you turn out to be the lucky one... Or should I say, the _unlucky_ one, in this case.”

“How do you think we should torture him to reach to Caelum, though?” Muscles had moved to lean at the wall, arms folded on his chest. “Beat him to near-death?”

“You’re such a brute, man, it’s no fun,” Boots moved around Prompto and knelt down to put a hand on his nape, over the bonding bite Noctis gave him. Prompto visibly twitched. “Hey, he might be mated, but he’s still an Omega... And you know what’s an Omega good at?”

“ _Breeding_ ,” Scars snarled, and Prompto instantly shivered at the menacing, condescending tone. He willed himself not to whimper in fear. “Imagine if we get him pregnant. I wish I can witness Caelum’s face when he learns that his mate is conceiving a child that’s not his heir.”

“Idiot, the chance of a male Omega conceiving outside their heats is almost zero. Besides you’ll be dead before you can, but it’ll be fun, I bet,” Muscles nodded. “In the meantime, knowing that Caelum will suffer from realising that his Omega is being _hurt_ and not being able to do anything about it... The boss will be satisfied.”

Scars let go of his grip and Prompto fell down back to the floor he was lying at, trembling. The three Alphas left, but he couldn’t stop the waves of terror that flooded his mind. He sobbed silently, curling himself into a ball as far as he could with his restrained hands and ankles.

“Noct...” he whispered. “Noct, help me...”


	4. linked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brace yourself...

Noctis was sitting in the lobby of the Citadel, hands wound together and pressed to his chin, brows creased, when Nyx and Lunafreya arrived.

“Noctis!” Her voice rang in the halls, and Noctis looked up to see Lunafreya’s worried expression. “We came as soon as we could when we hear the news.”

“Luna, I’ll go meet with Gladiolus first,” Nyx Ulric, the leader of the south district under the Lucis Caelum Family control, said. He leaned down to kiss Luna on the lips, before regarding Noctis politely and went away towards the basement.

“How’s the investigations?” Luna sat down beside him.

Noctis sighed and showed her the tablet that was resting on his lap earlier. “Prom was last seen by the traffic camera entering an alleyway,” he played the recording. “The alley leads to the street just a block before the headquarters—Ignis assumed that he wanted to take a shortcut because the area was packed, but... He never showed up at the other side.”

“It’s impossible to abduct someone in an alley that narrow, though,” Luna frowned. “Have you checked the cameras at the exit?”

“The exit of that alley is a blind spot not covered by the camera...” The dark-haired man groaned. “If only Prompto was able to walk just a bit more before getting taken, we can catch him in the camera... Ugh.” He massaged his temples again. Prompto’s _fear_ was now a constant, lingering feeling inside him, and that was _not_ a good sign. “I should have just told him to wait or just send someone away instead of letting him go by himself. Why would they pick a time like this to abduct Prom...?”

“Noctis, calm down,” Luna held his shoulder carefully. “There’s no use regretting what has happened. Right now, we just have to do everything in our power to track Prompto and his possible kidnappers.” She said. “I’ve told big brother to keep an eye in case he shows up in the Nox Fleuret territory.”

Noctis nodded. “Thanks, Luna,” he said hoarsely. Ravus—Lunafreya’s brother and the current head of the Nox Fleuret Family—might not like him too much, but he noticed that even the silver-haired Alpha had grown fond of Prompto at times when they visited the Nox Fleuret headquarters for business. He would never hear the end of it from Ravus for not being able to protect his mate later; but for now, Noctis was willing to get any help he could to find Prompto.

“Any demands from the kidnappers?”

The Family head shook his head. “Nothing so far; no phone calls, no threatening letters. I don’t think they want something from the Family, to be honest.”

Luna blinked in confusion. “So... Their objective is...?”

“Everybody knows that I’m bonded with Prompto,” Noctis had his eyebrows scrunched in worry. “If they want to hurt me the most, they won’t get me—they’ll get _Prompto_. I’m—“ he took a deep, shuddering breath. “I can’t protect him. What if—what if they _kill_ him? I...”

Luna was quick to whisk him away from the lobby towards the elevator hall, back to his own living quarters. If Noctis wanted to break down, best to not do it in front of the members of the Family. “It’s okay. Come on, let’s get back to your quarters first,” she said, patting his back gently. “How is Prompto doing now? Can you feel him?”

He nodded weakly. “He’s... afraid,” Noctis bit his lip. “There’s a spike of his fear for a while back, but it hasn’t been too extreme since. They don’t seem to hurt him... _yet_.”

They soon arrived on the floor where Noctis and Prompto’s living quarters was; Luna flipped the light switch on, and the lights slowly flickered to life. There was nothing seemed out of order except for the kitchen, which was in a state like someone left in a hurry. There’s a pot full of soup stock on the stove, already halfway cold, and the chopping board left on the counter was filled with diced carrots and other vegetables, which got Noctis to crinkle his nose in disgust. It seemed that Prompto had planned to feed him some vegetables tonight.

Prompto’s Omega scent lingered in the air inside their quarters, and that made Noctis’s heart ache. He was here, just a few hours ago, but now he was taken and his whereabouts unknown, because of Noctis’s carelessness.

“Here,” Luna shoved a glass of water in front of him. Noctis didn’t even realise that she had moved around. “Come on, sit down. We’ll be the first person to hear if Nyx and Gladiolus find something. I already told Ignis that we’re back in your quarters, so rest assured.”

Noctis took the glass reluctantly and sipped the water slowly. The cool water helped clearing his head a bit. He took a few more deep breaths to calm himself down, and did his best to send some reassuring thoughts to Prompto. Hopefully it would work, even just for the slightest bit, to tell his mate that he wouldn’t give up until Prompto had been found.

Luna then coaxed him to take a brief rest and promised to stay alert, waking him up if there was any update on Prompto. He ended up dozing off on the sofa, reluctant to go to their bedroom for now because Prompto’s scent would be too overwhelming for him. However, when midnight fell, Noctis suddenly woke up with a jolt and a scream, cold sweat matted his forehead as he clutched his head.

“Noctis! Oh, Astrals, you _scared_ me,” Luna said, standing up from her seat and approached him. “What happened? Did you have a nightmare?”

It took all for him to shook his head. “ _Prompto_ ,” he whispered in horror. “They—they—“

His stomach revolted and he threw up on the floor, clear liquid with bile staining the expensive carpet. There was a multitude of feelings, _new_ ones flooding inside his head, and none of them were positive.

_Fear. Humiliation. Terror. Shame._ And then, the most intense of all— _pain_. There was so much pain, it made his whole body shook. To top it off, it wasn’t a usual one—it was a _rejection_ pain; the kind that happened only when a bonded pair was forced to have sex with someone that wasn’t his or her mate.

“Noctis, talk to me!” Luna shook his shoulders hard, trying to get him back to reality. “What happened?!”

“Luna,” Noctis croaked out. “Luna, they... They _raped_ him. Prom—“

He didn't even have the chance to finish the sentence as he passed out from the pain.


	5. rejection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **tw: graphic non-con/rape**
> 
>  
> 
> i'm sorry for hurting prompto. okay maybe not.

It felt like forever when they finally went back for him.

Prompto had dozed off lightly for a while, lulled by the feelings of comfort and reassurance Noctis had sent him earlier—he must have sensed his distress; thank Six, Noctis would _surely_ find him—but he was rudely awoken when he heard noises from outside. A while later, a few people came in to his cell and easily manhandled him. Prompto was brought to another room full of Alphas and some Betas, and even under his dulled sense of smell the Alpha scents were so overwhelming, Prompto felt dizzy.

“Is this Caelum’s Omega?” A man wearing a suit, unlike the others in the room, asked from his seat. Prompto assumed that he was the head of the Family that abducted him. “He doesn’t seem like someone who’ll catch my attention.”

“Boss, your high taste of Omegas can’t be compared to Caelum’s.” Beside him, the Alpha he head-butted this evening cackled. He had a bandage on his forehead, and Prompto felt a temporary surge of satisfaction for giving the asshole a nasty bump. He caught Prompto smirking, though, and barked back at him. “What’re you looking at, _bitch_?!”

“Now, don’t be so hasty,” the Family head stood up and walked towards Prompto, lifting his chin as he assessed the Omega. “Hmm, he’s got a pretty face, really. If he wasn’t mated already, perhaps I’ll take him as part of my... _collection_.”

Prompto spat on his face. “Fuck off,” he scowled. “An Alpha, treating Omegas like a property? You’re _disgusting_. Where do you come from, the 15th century?”

He gasped when the Alpha tightened his grip on his chin, trying to crush hiss jaw. “Feisty little Omega,” he hissed. “I will watch you slowly being opened up and broken so much, Caelum won’t recognise you even if he finds you.” He released Prompto’s chin and turned. “He’s yours, Diethel. Break him good, but don’t damage him too much. Understand?”

“Certainly, Boss,” Diethel smirked. There was a hint of sick cruelty in that smile, it instantly sent bone-chilling terror to Prompto. He watched as the man pulled up a switchblade knife and tore his shirt apart, tossing the ripped cloth aside and leaving him bare-chested. Prompto immediately felt all eyes on him now, and he squirmed uncomfortably. The smell of lusting Alphas began hovering on the air, thick and nauseating.

“Damn, he’s so _pale_ ,” he heard somebody whistle. “For once, I envy Caelum for getting such a pretty slut as his mate.”

“You think he’s a virgin before he got bonded? He can’t even walk two blocks before he gets raped, I bet,” another spoke up, and Prompto, again, had to suppress a terrified whimper at the condescending remarks. Being cared and cherished as Noctis’s mate for two years almost made him forget that even until now, there were still Alphas who look at Omegas as lower beings than they were; that they were just sex objects, numbed by needs and lust especially during their heats.

“I can’t wait to fuck his hole. See how loose he is down there,” another one, a Beta, said. “Hey, do you think Caelum pass him around to be used by his subordinates, too?”

“His Shield is an Alpha, right? Heard he isn’t bonded yet. Maybe he gets off by fucking Caelum’s mate behind his back!”

Everyone in the room laughed. Prompto gritted his teeth in anger. How _dare_ they spoke about Gladio that way?

“Even if he _does_ fuck me,” the Omega hissed, “I bet he’s a better fuckbuddy than all of you combined.”

“Bitch!” Someone punched him on the face. “Looks like we need to shut up that filthy mouth of his!”

“I’ve got just the thing right here,” Diethel cackled and lowered his pants, enough so that he could whip out his half-hard cock. He pressed the head to Prompto’s bleeding lips and the Omega retaliated, thrashing around and tried to escape, but the others held him down and pulled his head back by hair. His blue eyes widened in terror when he realised a gun was pressed to his temple, the sound of its safety lock being released was heard after wards. “You better be a good slut and suck my dick if you don’t want the content of your brain to paint these walls,” he threatened. “I heard a separation of a bond by death is quite... _painful_... And although we don’t mind seeing Caelum be broken forever because you die, we won’t let it happen _this_ early.”

Prompto trembled slightly when the tip was pressed again to his lips, the muzzle of the gun digging painfully to his skin, as a silent reminder if he didn’t comply.

Perhaps the situation would be different if he was Ignis or Gladio. He wouldn’t mind dying for Noctis, even if that hurt the Alpha, rather than let himself be humiliated like this, and, in the process, humiliating Noct as well. But Prompto was different—he was Noctis’s _mate_ , and his death would mean that the enemies had succeeded in achieving whatever they wanted to take effect to Noctis—or the Lucis Caelum Family. These people weren’t for information, or even ransom—they wanted to hurt Noctis as badly as they could, directly, through him.

Prompto gulped silently and closed his eyes, steeling his resolve. He wouldn’t let that happen.

 _I’m so sorry, Noct_ , he silently thought.

He opened his lips as slowly as he could, but Diethel didn’t waste time to shove the entire length into Prompto’s mouth, making the Omega choke hard. Tears began welling on the corner of his eyes and the scent of an unknown Alpha—an Alpha that’s not Noct, not his _mate_ —started filling his nostrils and made him want to puke.

Around him, the people started talking, murmuring, but Prompto couldn’t register any of it. He felt hands on his skin, touching, groping, fingers brushing against his nipples and the blond jerked away, but someone held him still and he couldn’t move.

His jeans were pulled down as Diethel spilled his load, white spurts filling his mouth, and when he released Prompto, the Omega keeled over and threw up. They didn’t give him time to rest, though—a moment later, his hair was pulled up and another cock was rammed into his mouth.

A hand stroked his flaccid cock and Prompto struggled weakly, trying to fight the building arousal. He could feel his slick started dripping down his thighs, staining his pants and the floor, and shame overcame him as he felt his own cock starting to harden, twitching, because of just a few strokes from a stranger’s hand.

“Look at him. He’s so sensitive, he gets hard just by me jerking him a couple of times,” Prompto heard a snarl behind him. “Maybe Caelum doesn’t take care of him well enough.”

“He’s dripping down, man! _Gross_!” There’s a finger probing on his wet entrance now. “But damn... He smells so _good_ right now. Being bonded sure dulls his scent, but the slick can’t hide it anymore.” There was a mouth on the juncture between his neck and shoulder, nipping slightly.

Prompto wanted to scream. He wanted to bite the dick in his mouth, and run away, back to the Lucis Caelum Family. He wanted to go back to _Noctis_ , feeling his warmth against his, mouth against his ears whispering and telling him that everything was only a bad dream. However, the bonding bite Noctis gave him on his nape started to burn, a warning sign that his body was rejecting the assailants. Everything was real— _this_ was real.

His mouth was released and they let him drop on the floor, pulling his jeans away completely, leaving him naked and vulnerably exposed. He tried closing his legs, but powerful hands shoved them apart, every last of his dignity stripped away from him. Prompto inhaled sharply when something blunt was pressed to his entrance, realising what they were up to, and he begged weakly. “No—stop! Please, don’t—“

His plead went to deaf ears as the length went in smoothly, the slick he produced helping the entry, but his body spasmed; Prompto retched again, although there was nothing left to be thrown up, and every inch of his skin screamed _pain_. He had heard about how bonded pairs who had sex with people other than their bond-mates would undergo severe rejection pain—it was an agony he never imagined he would ever experience, yet he did right now. He cried out and trashed, trying to get away, but his knees were weak and the hands holding him down were not budging. All he could do was lie there on the floor, screaming and crying and begging; _no more, no more it hurts it hurts it **hurts—**_

He couldn’t help the plethora of feelings flooding inside him, that was surely going straight to Noctis. _Fear. Humiliation. Terror. Shame_. And then, the most intense of all— _pain_. With every thrust, his stomach lurched and his head spun, the _hurt_ building up until he couldn’t take it anymore.

The Alpha behind him shuddered and Prompto could feel that he was close to his orgasm, but when he didn’t make any move to pull out, the Omega cried. “No!” he said in horror. “Pull out! D-Don’t— _aah!_ —p-please! Anything but it!”

“But _that’s_ the whole point, isn’t it?” Diethel’s voice hovered above him, low and menacing. “Knot him good, will you?”

Prompto’s body shook as the Alpha fucking him came, his knot forming and locking them together, filling the Omega with his seeds. He was pulled upright and then teeth sank to his scent glands, over Noctis’s bonding bite, and it sent the most intense pain of all across his nerves, he could only lay limply on the man’s arms, a trembling and sobbing mess.

“Wow, man. You realise you can’t make him yours by biting him like that, right?”

“I don’t even know why I did it. Instinct, I guess. But hell, it feels _so_ satisfying,” the Alpha traced the bite on Prompto’s nape, bleeding and most likely wouldn’t fade for a couple of days. “You won’t believe it—he’s so _tight_ , just like fucking a virgin. And he takes my knot like he’s born for it.” He leaned back and raised Prompto’s leg, showing the others his knotted hole. The blond bit his lip and averted his gaze in shame.

“Damn...”

“I want to be the one fucking him next.”

“How about we...”

They were chatting more, but Prompto tuned them down until he couldn’t hear anything anymore. Everythign was fading out for him, beneath the aching burn of rejection pain that tormented him. Before long, he let himself fall into the endless abyss, the darkness consuming him entirely. Only one word remained in his mind—his bond-mate’s name.

_Noc... t..._


	6. revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...you know, i always feel bad every time i read all your comments, because summing them up you guys are just straight up crying for our babies and... well... that makes me feel like a villain. D: (i still like the comments, though! keep them coming guys! i love you!)
> 
> also please don't throw bricks at me after this okay?? i mean there's a reason why the angst tag is there. (looks up)

The echo of his name in his mind was the thing that jolted Noctis awake.

“Prompto!”

“Holy _shit_!”

Noctis sat up and panted, bloodshot eyes darted back and forth frantically to inspect his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was him dozing off in the living room with Lunafreya—but now he wasn’t there anymore. Where _was_ he?

“Noct! Hey, _princess_ , can you hear me?”

Noctis would recognise that nickname anywhere. He slowly breathed out, trying to calm himself down, before he lifted up his head to see his trusted Shield looming over him with worried expression. “...Gladio.” He said. “Where am I...?”

“You’re in your bedroom,” Gladio answered, and only at that moment did Noctis recognised the faint scent of Prompto’s Omega mixing with his own, and felt so _familiar_. “You really scared Miss Lunafreya back there, you know. Suddenly collapsing, and then started screaming... Nyx was pretty furious when he barged in here, thinking you somehow hurt her because of her projected fear.”

The dark-haired man rubbed his forehead. “And now you’re here instead of Luna because...?”

“Igs refused to leave you alone, so I went up and let the others resume the investigations for the time being,” Gladio said, and when Noctis opened his lips to protest, he intervened him. “And don’t worry, Nyx is handling it now with Miss Lunafreya helping him. Iris is also here; everyone working on tracking Prompto down now are our closest and most trusted men.”

Noctis sighed. “Any progress?”

“We went and checked the place where Prompto was last spotted. We found his groceries... But other than that, there’s nothing really leading us to whom the culprit is.”

“Dammit,” Noctis cursed under his breath. The negative feelings from Prompto seemed to have gone completely, but rather than being relieved, he was even more worried. His mate must have been unconscious.

There was a knock on his bedroom door, and Noctis jolted in surprise. It swung open without waiting for an answer, though, and Ignis walked in with a tray on his hand. “Is everything under control, Gladio?” he asked.

“Yeah, Noct just woke up and scared the shit out of me,” the larger man snorted. “What do you have there, baby?”

“Stop calling me with that,” Ignis mumbled half-heartedly, but Noctis saw the faint blush dusting his cheeks, even under the dim lights. “It’s soup. Miss Lunafreya said that Noct hasn’t eaten yet, so I took the liberty to make something from the ingredients Prompto has left behind.” He put the tray down on the bedside table.

Noctis scrunched his eyebrows. “You used those _vegetables_ Prompto left?” he asked. The soup smelled exactly like his favourite dish Prompto always cooked for him, and there’s no way that those... abominations he refused to eat were part of the ingredients.

Ignis just gave him a thin, knowing smile. “Prompto taught me how to make it a while ago, so I’m confident that it should taste the same like the one he always makes,” he chuckled. “I tried to make you eat your vegetables since forever, and Prompto can do it only in two years since he became your mate. He’s amazing.”

Noctis scowled. He felt so _betrayed_. His mate, feeding him vegetables without his knowledge all this time? He probably would charge Prompto with treason if he could.

“Come on, it can’t be so bad if you’re willing to eat it, right? Gladio grinned. “Plus, you need something to power you up. It’s past midnight, and your last meal would be the cheeseburger you got with Prom for lunch. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for the sake of your mate. Alright?”

At that, Noctis fell silent, but he didn’t complain when Ignis put the tray on his lap, reminding him that the soup was still hot. The smell made him drool and his stomach rumble silently, and with a slightly embarrassed scowl when Gladio laughed at him, he took a spoonful of soup and slurped it in.

The familiar taste slowly brought him to the times when he felt down, or sick, or simply just tired from dealing with his work. No matter how hard it was for him, Prompto was always there, on his side, kissing him welcome home and served him without complaints, even when he just wanted to take a bath and sleep. He always understood what Noctis needed the most, perhaps even more so than Ignis and Gladio after Prompto became his mate.

“...Noct?” Ignis’s asked, worried. “You’re crying...”

Noctis flinched and brought a hand to his face. He didn’t even realise when the drops of tears slid down his cheeks. “I...” He took a deep breath, trying to wipe the tears off, but instead, the tears went down harder, and soon, he was sobbing.

The tray on his lap was lifted off and put aside, and then strong, but gentle arms enveloped him in a hug. “It’s alright, Noct,” came Ignis’s soothing voice, and Noctis let himself cry to the Omega’s chest, something he didn’t allow himself to do after they had presented. “It’s quite alright. We’ll definitely find Prompto, even if it takes everything. You have my word on that.”

Gladio stared awkwardly at them, but eventually, he raised a hand to pat on Noctis’s back. Ignis gave him an approval nod. He definitely appreciated what Gladio had did for Noctis; it was already more than enough as a reassurance.

After Noctis’s cries had subsided down into small sniffles, Ignis pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to the younger Omega. “Here, Noct, wipe your face,” he said. Noctis took it and used it to blow his nose, which got the Omega grimacing, but he let it be. The handkerchief could be washed later; Noctis was far more important now. “Have you calmed down?”

“...yeah. Thanks, Igs. Sorry I ruined your shirt and handkerchief,” he murmured, sounded mildly embarrassed by his burst of emotion. “I’ll eat now... Can you take the small table out? It’s near Prompto’s desk over there.”

Ignis turned to Gladio, who nodded. The older Alpha stood up from the bed and retrieved the small table as Noctis instructed, but something on Prompto’s desk seemed to catch his interest. He picked up an envelope labelled from _Insomnia Hospital_. “Is Prompto sick, Noct?”

“Huh?” Noctis looked up. “Well, he says he isn’t feeling very well lately, so I tell him to go see a doctor if it gets worse. He went to the hospital this morning with Iris, actually.” He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the envelope on Gladio’s hand. “What is that?”

Gladio shrugged. He brought the envelope to the bed and handed it towards Ignis, setting the table over Noctis’s lap and put the tray of food on it, letting Noctis eat. Ignis opened the envelope and inspected the content with slightly concerned expression. He scanned them over quickly, until his green eyes widened.

“Noct,” his voice was tight. “This is Prompto’s... examination report.”

Noctis stopped eating. “What examination?” He put down the spoon back to the bowl and leaned over to see the papers in Ignis’s hand. “...gynaecologist? What the hell is that?”

“It’s...” Ignis swallowed down, but Gladio cut him off first.

“Gynaecologist is an Omega-specialist area, but it’s often combined with pregnancy specialty,” the older Alpha said, eyes widening. “Igs, that report—“

Ignis nodded. “According to this report...” he took a deep breath. “Prompto is two months pregnant, Noct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gynaecologists are technically "women" specialty doctors, but i changed them into omegas here. _(:3_


	7. alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> believe it or not, this chapter and the next one are the hardest to write, because these are the 'empty' moments before the rescue starts. i tried my best, though.

When Prompto came to, he was alone.

He was sore and tired, and his nape burned and throbbed, along with the dull, leftover ache on his body. Prompto was instantly reminded of the situation he was subjected to before he went unconscious, and it took all for him to stop himself from crying. He touched the bite marks on his nape with trembling hand, and when he drew his hand back, it came back with dark red, half-dried blood clinging to his fingers.

It seemed that his captors had returned him back to his cell, although they didn’t bother to tie nor dress him up again. Prompto gingerly stood up, almost losing his balance when his lower part throbbed in protest, and shivered at the cold air. Sunlight streamed in from the small, barred window hanging high on the wall, and now the blond could see his surroundings more clearly.

The cell was just a small, concrete-walled room, with a dusty cot in the corner and a damp, old rag laid on top of it as a makeshift bedding. There was a wooden chair across the room, and a sink placed on the other side, the water running and clean. Other than that, the cell was bare of anything worth noting.

Prompto sighed and finally decided to clean himself. He hobbled towards the sink and leaned against it, cringing as he washed himself, trying to hold back the nausea that threatened to surface when he touched the sticky mess between his thighs.

His stomach rumbled silently, as if informing him that he hadn’t eaten anything since gotten caught. How long had he been knocked out after he was tortured?

Nevertheless, Prompto touched his belly slowly, smiling slightly. He remembered his visit to the hospital with Iris, and when the doctor told him that he’s pregnant, he was... ecstatic. He and Noctis had been planning to start a family soon after they bonded, but eventually, the thoughts were soon set aside when he nearly got killed during a crossfire with the enemy. Noctis, his Alpha, was the head of a mafia Family. Dangers befell them like it was daily occurrence, to the point that even he didn’t want to think about if they had brought a child to this world.

And now, something like this happened. If he couldn’t protect himself, how can he protect his child from the danger?

He sat on the cot and decided to wrap the rag around himself. It smelled dusty and stale, but this would do, at least so he wouldn’t catch a cold. Prompto huddled himself close, staring at the small window as he fiddled with the leather bracelet on his right wrist. He could try shouting—the window might be barred, but it was open anyway—however, his captors would be alerted instantly by it, so that’s a bad idea.

His fingers touched the cold metal pendant embedded on the leather, and then something struck.

The bracelet he wore was actually a present from Noctis last year, on their first anniversary. The pendant was made of platinum and bore the symbol of the Lucis Caelum Family. If the small window up there was connected to the outside, then perhaps he could throw his bracelet out; someone might found it and recognise the symbol, and perhaps would have it delivered to Noctis.

But then there were numerous possibilities, and honestly, nothing looked good. He might be locked in a place where there was only a few to no people around; that would make his effort pointless. Even if the bracelet was found, there was no guarantee what whoever picked it up knew about what it meant. Worst, it would instead be found by his captors, and never made it back to Noctis.

And then... If he removed his bracelet, then the brand on his wrist would be exposed, for all to see. Prompto wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

While he was weighing his options, he heard sounds from outside the window. They were faint, but it was definitely the voice of people talking. Were they the enemies? Or were they not? Prompto wasn’t sure.

He didn’t have much time to decide. The chance was slim, but it’s a _chance_ nonetheless. He couldn’t just sit there and let his captors torture him to get to Noctis, right?

Prompto bit his lip and made up his mind; it’s now or never.

He took off his bracelet and held it in his palm. The window was high, but if he threw it from a distance, the bracelet should be able to pass through the bars and made it outside. And hopefully, those people would pick it up and recognise it. Prompto waited until the voices were getting closer—

—and then, on the count of three, threw it out.

He watched the bracelet disappear behind the window and bit his lip in anticipation, hoping that somewhat, it had at least caught their attention. However, the voices passed through and went smaller and smaller, until Prompto couldn’t hear them again.

The blond sighed. He should have known that it was impossible after all. Slowly, he leaned on the wall and slumped down. He stared at his wrist, the ink forming thin lines of barcode stark against his pale skin. Now he had nothing to conceal this mark.

Prompto clenched his fist and closed his eyes. Even then, all he could think of when he closed his eyes was Noctis’s smiling face. At the moment, though, he knew that face was probably filled with worry as his Alpha wondered where he was.

Prompto bit his lip and tried to hold back his tears.

“...Noct,” he whispered to the empty air. Perhaps, somehow, wishing that it could magically bring him back to Noctis’s arms. He knew that it was only a wishful thinking, and he couldn’t stop the tears he was holding back from flowing anymore.


	8. beacon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a surprise for next chapter. :P
> 
> in the meantime, enjoy this one~

For once, Noctis had woken up on his own. Not by the gentle scent of his Omega shaking him awake, or from Ignis pulling on his blanket and forced him out of his bed on rare days when Prompto had let him sleep in.

He blinked a few times to chase the sleep off his eyes and unconsciously reached to his side, to where Prompto usually slept, only to find the spot cold and empty. Then it dawned on his that his mate was still missing, kidnapped and tortured.

Noctis sat up gingerly from the bed and reached for his phone on the bedside table, checking the time. It was almost dinner time already; he wondered why Ignis hadn’t woken him up, but considering he just fell asleep again at 4 AM after eating, perhaps the older Omega decided that he needed the sleep as much as he could.

He got out of the bed and went to the bathroom to at least make himself presentable. Upon looking at the mirror, he found out that his eyes were slightly rimmed red and his face looked terrible overall, but it wasn’t an excuse. He wouldn’t rest until Prompto had been found and back with him again.

After he brushed his teeth and took a quick shower, he dressed up and headed downstairs towards his office. On the way there, though, he spotted Nyx, Lunafreya, and Iris in an unoccupied meeting room together, looking serious as they discussed something.

Luna had seen him first. “Noctis,” she stood up from her seat, alerting everybody else. “Are you feeling better now?”

“...yeah,” Noctis nodded. “Sorry for worrying you last night. I’m fine now... But more importantly, any progress on Prompto?”

A brief relief flashed on Luna’s soft features, before it changed back to the initial grim expression. “That’s at least good to hear,” she said, sitting back down. “For Prompto... To be honest, it’s not looking so good, Noctis. We’re out of clues. There’s nothing indicating that someone from other Family had abducted him. We checked every possible scenarios and outcomes, how they’re transporting him out of Insomnia, and that came up empty as well.”

“Will there be a chance that they’re still in Insomnia?”

Nyx furrowed his eyebrows. “No offense, Sir, but the whole Insomnia area is in our territory. Even if they hide him somewhere here, our men would have spotted him, wherever they are.”

“There should be something we can use... anything,” Iris frowned. She was the second child of the Amicitia; Gladio’s younger sister, an Alpha. By default, she would be Prompto’s bodyguard, but by now she was more of a family friend rather than a subordinate, same as her brother and Ignis. Her bubbly and cheerful personality fitted well with Prompto, and often Noctis found them hanging out together in rare occasions when Iris wasn’t busy with her school. “Noctis... Does Prompto have something on him that can be used as a tracker? Or identification, even?”

Noctis shook his head. “He only has his bracelet... It can serve as an identification since it has our Family emblem embedded on it, but I don’t install tracker in it. He’s never far from me all this time...” He sat down on a chair and ran a hand through his hair.

The room fell into silence as they organised their thoughts when Gladio came in. “Hey guys—oh, Noct, you’re up already,” the larger Alpha said, furrowing his eyebrows. “Anyone knows where Igs is? I’ve been looking for him everywhere.”

Nyx and Lunafreya both shook their head. Iris, however, spoke up. “Didn’t he go with you earlier, big brother?”

Noctis and Gladio both turned to her. “ _Go_?” Gladio asked.

The female Alpha looked unsure. “I saw him heading outside the Citadel just before I went here, after lunch. He looked a little anxious, so I thought he was trying to sneak out to meet you or something.” When Gladio regarded her with a questioning look, Iris just rolled her eyes back. “Oh, please, big brother. It’s not like it isn’t obvious already. You shouldn’t have bitten him _that_ high if you really want to hide the fact that you’ve bonded with Ignis.” She shrugged. “Not like the lack of his scent isn’t a dead giveaway anyway.”

Gladio rubbed his nose awkwardly as Luna chuckled. “Wow, I didn’t know that,” Nyx raised an eyebrow. “Should I give my congratulations now?”

“We can celebrate when Prompto is found,” Gladio hastily interrupted him. “Anyway, did you know where he might have gone to?”

Iris shook her head. “As I said earlier, I thought that he sneaked out to see you, so if you don’t even know about it, I have no idea as well.”

Gladio frowned. “Shit, Igs...” He sat down. “With Prompto gone, I’m just worried that they might have taken Ignis as well.”

“They hadn’t made a move to contact us since yesterday, but they’ve hurt Prompto... badly,” Noctis said. “It’s either a personal grudge against me, or they just have a different agenda for Prompto.” He furrowed his brows again, anger and sadness bubbling up before he could stop them. He should have been stronger for Prompto’s sake, yet... “I can’t even protect _them_.”

“...’them’?” Nyx parroted.

“...this morning we found out that Prompto is pregnant,” Gladio was the one who answered it for him. “We found an examination report on his desk and... yeah.”

Luna gasped. “Oh no...”

Iris lowered her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys about it,” she finally said. “Prompto was so happy that he wanted to surprise you guys, and told me not to say anything.”

Noctis just gave him a weak smile. “It’s alright, Iris. I know you mean no harm of it. It doesn’t matter now, though... I just want Prompto to come back, safely.”

“We’ll find him, Noctis,” Luna squeezed his shoulder, but the reassurance sounded so hollow to Noctis. If there wasn’t even a clue to start looking, then how they could even find him?

Suddenly, as if on cue, the door opened and Ignis stepped in, all sweaty and dishevelled. He looked a little spooked, so Gladio stood up in alarm and approached his newly bonded. “Ignis!” He touched his face gently, slowly assessing him. “Are you alright? Where _were_ you?”

“I’m—I’m fine,” Ignis breathed out. It was so unnerving to see the usually prim and proper Ignis so distressed. “Noct, I... I might have known where Prompto is kept.”

Everyone in the room lifted their heads up to look at the male Omega. “Ignis,” Noctis carefully asked. “Where did you go?”

“I... got a tip from someone I know. A reliable source,” Ignis breathed out. “I went out to meet with this guy, and... It seems unbelievable at first, but I’m convinced that the information they provide is accurate.”

“Who is this source?”

Ignis shook his head. “I can’t tell you; they swore me not to speak about their identity,” he said, his expression changed. “I... trust this information, Noct. They’re not from our Family, but I can assure you that they’re trustworthy. Will you believe me?”

Noctis stared at Ignis’s green, unwavering eyes for a moment. “I trust you, Igs,” he finally said. “And if you say that this... guy... is to be trusted, then I will trust this guy, too,” he looked around and saw the other nodded in agreement with him. “But just one thing I’d like to ask; why do you think their information is the real one?”

Ignis reached for his pocked and took out an item. “They gave me this as a proof.” He paused. “This is Prompto’s, isn’t it, Noct?”

In his palm, lie a strip of leather, worn out from constant wear. There was an unmistakably familiar emblem made of platinum embedded on the leather—the Lucis Caelum Family’s emblem. Noctis would recognise it anywhere—after all, he was the one who ordered it to be custom-made in the first place.

Prompto’s bracelet.


	9. intermezzo 1: tip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis meets the tipper and learns a thing or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (when the intermezzo chapter is longer than your normal chapters... (ó﹏ò｡) )
> 
> i don't mean to make it this long, but without i realise... it's been 2k words. OTL i introduced a new character here (which you guys probably have guessed anyway...) and some of the world background.
> 
> i hope you enjoy this and as always, comments are appreciated o(≧∇≦o)
> 
> edit: i actually don't put a new tag since it'll be super... spoilery, as you see. i'll insert the tag on once i upload the next chapter!

 

> [Unknown] _I got something for you. -13.41_  
>  [Unknown] _Care to find out? -13.42_

Ignis stared at the text that just came in. He was just back from lunch with Gladio at their quarters, and was about to join the others at the meeting room to discuss their next strategy to find Prompto, while Gladio went and took care of the business deals that Noctis was supposed to handle today. Ignis thought it would be wise to excuse him just for a day, after the ordeals he had gone through.

The sender wasn’t registered on his phone, but then only several people knew about this number, so he could probably guess who they were.

 

> [Ignis] _...I’m not sure I want to. -13.44_
> 
> [Unknown] _Then I can guess -13.45_  
>  [Unknown] _Lucis Caelum Family has lost something important -13.45_  
>  [Unknown] _Am I right? -13.46_

Ignis sucked in a sharp breath. He fiddled with his phone for a while, unsure about what to reply, but eventually gave in. It was dangerous to give out information just like that, outside of the Family; but looking at their situation, they wouldn’t get anywhere in Prompto’s search with the lack of clues. He was willing to bet on whatever this person was telling him.

 

> [Ignis] _What do you know? -13.55_
> 
> [Unknown] _Café Ebony, down the business district in an hour. -13.55_  
>  [Unknown] _Don’t tell anybody, as usual. -13.56_

Guess he had no choice but to comply.

 

 

Ignis arrived at the café right at the promised time, the cab he rode on passing quickly from his sight. The small bell that was attached at the café’s door rang when he pushed it open, and he didn’t respond to the cheerful ‘ _Welcome to Ebony!_ ’ greeting from the waiting barista behind the counter as he sauntered towards the seat way on the back of the café.

“Ooh, you came,” the person said, wearing wide-rimmed hat that obstructed most of their face, but the flash of silver hair that peeked from underneath the hat was unmistakable. “Does that mean I was right?”

“...Aranea,” Ignis greeted. “So it is you.”

Aranea Highwind, the renowned, mysterious Alpha mercenary, formerly employed by the Aldercapt Family ruling the neighbouring country of Niflheim. After the fall of the Aldercapt Family twenty years ago, she started taking underground jobs from people who were willing to pay. Her real job, however, was mainly as an information supplier; her underground work brought in tons of tip, be it the genuine fact or just baseless rumours.

“It’s me,” Aranea gave him a thin smile. She was dressed casually; aside of the hat, she was wearing a white, low cut blouse accompanied with a dark grey cardigan, black dress pants, and a pair of low heels with matching colours. A thin-rimmed glasses rested on her nose, and Ignis scrunched his nose slightly, since he knew Aranea had perfect vision. She was disguising herself. “You haven’t answered my question, Ignis.”

“I have a feeling that you’ve already known about it, so I wouldn’t bother, if I could,” Ignis said, sitting on the seat across of Aranea. The Alpha had proven to be a quite reliable source, but Ignis wouldn’t trust her, especially because of her former involvement with the Aldercapt. She might claim that she wasn’t even affiliated with the Aldercapt Family in the first place, but Ignis liked to take it on the safe side.

Aranea shrugged. “I won’t say I _know_ everything; it’s only a speculation on my side anyway. I might be wrong, but it’s up to you to judge,” she said. “So work out with me here. I’ll even give the information out for free, since I’m feeling generous today.”

The male Omega eyed her warily.

“What do you know?” He finally asked.

“Well... First, I’d like to return this to you,” Aranea straightened up, and she reached for her pocket, taking out a small pouch. “It bears the Lucis Caelum Family emblem and smells faintly of an Omega, so I figured out this might belong to one of you.”

Ignis took the pouch and opened it, spilling the content to his hand. Apparently the content was only a strip of slightly worn-out leather, with a shiny emblem of the Lucis Caelum Family embedded in it. True to Aranea’s word, it still smelled faintly of an Omega, but this scent was... He widened his eyes.

“Where did you find this?” he demanded, staring at Aranea.

She looked a little taken aback by his sudden interest. “Hey, chill out there, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Aranea answered. “I actually had a business with the Lucis Caelum Family this morning and found this just lying at the ground near the storehouses managed by your Family. The west district, to be precise.” She eyed the leather. “What’s with that leather anyway?”

“Prompto was taken by someone yesterday evening and tortured,” Ignis blurted out. “We have no clues to his whereabouts at all. He always wears his bracelet, and I’m certain he’s still wearing this when he’s abducted—“ Ignis sucked in a deep breath. Six, was he being held at the west district all this time?

“Calm down, sweetcakes. I can smell your distress here,” Aranea said. “Prompto... As in, the runt that becomes Noctis’s mate? Why would he be held there? Unless...” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Perhaps that explains it.”

Ignis stared at her, as if silently demanding an explanation.

“I know the Lucis Caelum Family isn’t involved with the underground Omegas trafficking, but the storehouse I went in had a faint smell of Omega,” Aranea snorted. “The Family only employs Omega to work at the Citadel so they can be protected, right? So I thought it was weird. I wasn’t able to investigate, though—but I’m sure they must have kept the Omega somewhere in the storehouse.” She shrugged. “Just saying that some of your underdogs might have committed treason and started an illegal business. Turns out it’s only the former.”

Ignis’s lips twitched, a small smile threatening to surface at Aranea’s choice of words. “We are part of the mafia, Aranea. Our businesses are hardly what you can consider as legal.”

“Omegas trafficking are the unforgivable kind of illegal, then,” she sipped her coffee slowly. “Hey, speaking of the price of that information,” Aranea wiggled her eyebrows. “How about you accompany me here for a while? I haven’t had the time to relax, and I’d rather to spend it with someone rather than sitting alone like a sad woman in a café.”

The Omega sighed. Before he could protest, Aranea cut him off. “And you looked like you need some break as well, Specs. Just an hour or two. You reek of anxiousness; do you even realise it?”

Ignis didn’t reply back, but he stood up and walked towards the counter to order a drink. The coffee here was excellent, and Aranea perhaps was right. He needed a break, after comforting Noctis last night and not having more than two hours sleep, although it was a well-spent two hours being cocooned by Gladio’s warmth and comforting Alpha scent. Guess that was one of the perks of being bonded.

He suddenly stopped. Right; he almost forgot that he’s been bonded. Aranea’s an Alpha; she wasn’t supposed to even smell how he _felt_ , other than a distinctive Omega scent. She didn’t even make a comment about how his scent had dulled—so how...?

Ignis grabbed his coffee and hastily returned back to Aranea’s seat. The woman stared at him with a slightly questioning look on her face, so he decided to just bite the bullet and ask. “Aranea,” he started. “Are you _not_ an Alpha?”

Her expression didn’t change, but Ignis noticed the twitch on her fingers when he addressed that. “What makes you think that I’m not?”

“You didn’t comment at my change of scent,” Ignis said. “Or rather... you addressed how I feel through my scent. An Alpha isn’t supposed to smell me at this point.”

“Oh. Shit,” Aranea’s face twisted. “I didn’t expect you to get bonded.” She downed the rest of her coffee. “Well, so now you know my secret. I’ll trust you to keep mum about it.”

“So... You’re really an Omega,” Ignis slowly said. It wasn’t exactly a secret how exactly Omegas could hide their identitiy; scent blockers, synthetic Alpha scent mists, and heat suppressants were just a few methods. The products were deemed dangerous so they had been forbidden for public use, but within the underground business these products were traded like everyday goods. “Why disguise yourself as an Alpha?”

“For one, it’s easier,” Aranea shrugged. “When you deal with the mafia without the protection of a Family, being an Alpha is easier. You don’t get questions, you don’t get harassed. Plus, you can’t exactly track smuggled Omegas if you’re not an Omega yourself, since a few of them might have been taken after they bonded.” She gestured towards the barista to ask for more coffee.

Ignis’s green eyes widened slightly when he realised what Aranea had been up to. “You’re hunting down the Omegas smuggling ring,” he breathed out. “I never thought—you’re originally affiliated with the Aldercapt Family, so I assumed...”

“...that I was involved in the whole illegal Omegas trafficking and secondary genders experimentation?” Aranea rolled her eyes, seeming bored. “I already told you I have nothing to do with it. Besides it’s not like I worked under the Aldercapt Family out of willingness, y’know.” She looked sideways, a whiff of what smelt like _anger_ passed through. “Hard to be willing if you’re part of the smuggled bunch yourself that ended up being bought by Aldercapt Family.”

Ignis looked taken aback by the sudden information. “I... I don’t know—“

“Doesn’t matter now. The Lucis Caelum Family took down the Aldercapt twenty years ago, and freed me in the process,” she waved Ignis off. “Now I’m enjoying my life as a freelance mercenary, so don’t you go and pity me, alright? Save your worry for your boss and his mate; they need you.”

Ignis let out a small nod.

They spent a few moments of silence before Aranea let out a laugh. “Damn, that was unexpected, you being bonded. I was careless; guess my line of information isn’t fast enough if I didn’t know about it.”

“I just got bonded two days ago, and with the... incident on hand, we just don’t have the time to properly inform anybody just yet,” the male Omega grimaced as he sipped the coffee. _Too sweet_. He forgot to tell the barista to lay off the syrup. “I won’t blame you for not knowing.”

“So... It should be the boss’s Shield, right? Gladiolus?” Aranea smirked, and Ignis felt his cheeks heating up. “Congratulations; I hope you two are happy.”

“Thank you,” Ignis murmured, feeling embarrassed all of sudden. He hastily finished his coffee and stood up. “I should go; it’s getting late and Gladio—Gladiolus's worrying about me." The flicks of _worry_ that wasn't his own were starting to surface. 

Aranea nodded. “Be careful on your way,” she said, and she caught his hands before Ignis walked. “But first; swear to me that you won’t tell anyone about my identity; not even Noctis.”

“I...” Ignis paused. “I’m his right-hand man.” He opted to answer.

“ _No_ ,” Aranea tightened her grip on his wrist, and Ignis winced. “Swear on it. It’s too risky to let too many people know about my real identity; and remember, I also worked with the Lucis Caelum Family before. I have my weapons, and I won’t hesitate to use it if it’s necessary.”

Ignis breathed out. Shit, she wasn’t joking. “Alright,” he finally said. “Not a word to anyone else, including Noct.”

“Good.” She nodded in approval and let go of him. “Now run along, Specs. Use that information well.”

Ignis gave her a small nod and exited the café, hailing a cab back to the Citadel, the new information he had just received swirling through his mind.

* * *

“...you let him know.”

Aranea didn’t need to turn back to recognise the voice. “I didn’t mean to. I don’t know he’s bonded; it just comes out. Even if I didn’t slip up, he’s bound to notice at how he could still smell my scent over those cheap Alpha mists.”

The man sat on the seat Ignis initially occupied, mismatched eyes boring into her grey ones. “And you let him go, just like that, with just a spoken swear? He’s Lucis Caelum’s right-hand man; he can’t tell lies to him.”

“You’re such an _optimist_ , Ravus,” Aranea rolled her eyes exaggeratingly and sighed. “Let’s just say I have a feeling that he won’t tell.”

Ravus’s expression didn’t change. “You’re the one who’s optimistic. Risking yourself out just to deliver a bracelet... The smuggling ring is furious when you attacked the container last week and freed over fifty Omegas, you know. They put a price on your head.”

Aranea barked out a laugh. “Let them try,” she finished her second coffee. “That’s why I have you to back me up, when such case happens.”

“ _Very_ optimistic, indeed,” Ravus said dryly, but there was a small, satisfied glint on his mismatched eyes. “Now, do me a favour and tell me the location of that storehouse. I have a promise to fulfil to my sister, after all.”


	10. brand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm... i forgot to upload this one, didn't i...? i'm sorry OTL. i was thinking on one more intermezzo chapter before moving forward with the story, but i just realised that the 2nd intermezzo i wrote was actually more from noctis's side, so i decided to postpone it for next chapter. this one is back to prompto's pov in the meantime! :D

When the lights outside the window dimmed, Prompto found out that his nightmare had just begun again.

A few Alpha entered his cell and dragged him out, back to the room where they had tortured him yesterday. A handful of men, with their disgusting Alpha scents, had gathered inside, and once again he was pinned down and spread apart. No matter how hard he had struggled, cried, and begged, they didn’t care.

Prompto had to stifle his cries when someone rammed into his prostate mercilessly with his fingers, his cock jumping with each push. He writhed and his body trembled, enduring the stabs of rejection pain. His mind blanked—a defensive mental state to try and numb himself from the torment—and the soft murmur of Noctis’s feelings insides him slowly faded, getting weaker.

“Hey, is he dead?” One Alpha slapped his cheek, and Prompto blinked, letting out a soft noise. “He’s not responding that much anymore.

“Boring. Omegas are so _weak_ ,” another snarled. The fingers were removed and then a cock pushed into him. Prompto’s body jerked in pain, but otherwise, he didn’t offer any more reacting, trying to push any emotions out. He wouldn’t be able to hold up much longer, if this kept going.

“Hey, wait,” someone pulled his right arm upwards and flipped his wrist, inspecting it. “I don’t recall this being here yesterday. What _is_ that? A tattoo...?”

“He’s wearing a really old wristband yesterday; guess that’s why we didn’t see that mark,” Prompto felt his arm being tugged. “Is that from Caelum? What, so he _branded_ his Omega? Sick.”

“Wait, no, I think I recognised that tattoo. Isn’t that... the mark they used on the Omegas from the fallen Aldercapt Family?”

Prompto sucked in a sharp breath. Even in the mafia world only a few people knew about what that tattoo really meant, since the detail of the experimentations the Aldercapt Family had done were kept in secret and burned into ashes when the Lucis Caelum Family won the war twenty years ago, taking down the Aldercapt. Prompto struggled weakly, trying to pull away. “Don’t—“ he gasped. “Don’t touch me!”

“So he’s an experimented Omega from Niflheim? I thought they were all killed! Guess one _did_ remain,” the Alphas and Betas around him started murmuring. “Is Caelum an _idiot_? He basically brings in enemy into the Family!”

“I heard that the experimented Omegas are specially built for breeding,” someone spoke. “Maybe Caelum knows, and deliberately brings him in just for that.”

The whole room was filled with laughter. “Considering that he feels so _good_ , that’s possible,” the cock inside him retreated and slammed back in with force, starting a steady rhythm, and Prompto cried out. Both of his hands were now pinned down on the floor. “Fuck, wish we can keep him forever instead of killing him. Make him pop babies for us, y’know?”

“The Alphas can knot him more and we can pump him full with our cum today. But it’s not fun if he doesn’t react much. Do you think we break him too soon?”

“Fuck—“ Prompto breathed out amongst his cries of pain every time the cock touched his prostate, not willing to give up. “Fuck... off...”

“Big words, when you take our cocks like you’re made for it. Oh, right, you _are_ made for it.” They laughed, and the blond wrenched his eyes shut as he felt hot loads of cum filling him, knot forming. “What a slut. Caelum must have loved your body so much, huh? Because you’re such a good fuck for him.”

Prompto shook his head frantically, whimpering. He knew what they say wasn’t true. Noctis loved him, he _wanted_ to bond with him, even went great lengths to court him properly even though the Alpha didn’t have to. Noctis took a broken Omega like him as his mate and cherished him so much, showering him with love Prompto didn’t dare to ask for such before. Even Gladio, Ignis, Iris... The Family loved him, and accepted him the way he was.

There was always a seed of doubt inside his heart, however. Perhaps the things his captors said were true. He was from Niflheim, after all. Born and bred in the laboratory under the Aldercapt Family to be the ultimate Alpha soldiers, but ended up identified as an Omega and sent away separately to become a breeding tool instead, if the Aldercapt Family didn't fall. He was the enemy of the Lucis Caelum Family. Maybe Noctis did bond with him because he thought he could make Prompto stay by his side. To keep an eye on the surviving members of the Aldercapt Family, one being him, even though Prompto wasn’t even old enough to be considered as the member of the Family.

He didn’t even realise when the Alpha towering him pulled out and he was immediately substituted by another Alpha. From the corner of his eyes, Prompto recognised him; Muscles from day one that punched and captured him. “My turn,” he said gruffly, and pressed into Prompto’s wet hole with squelching sound of cum and slick overflowing. Prompto, still loose from the previous fucking and knotting, only shuddered and groaned as the intense pain returned, energy drained.

“Hmph, he’s loose,” the Alpha snorted, unsatisfied. “You’re being too rough on him.”

“Hey, he’s so good, what do you expect?”

Muscles hummed as he cracked his knuckles, before pressing his fingers on Prompto’s throat. The Omega’s blue eyes widened when they started tightening around his windpipe, and he grasped at the hand in panic, trying to pry them off. “What—“ he choked out. “Stop—“

“Don’t kill him, will ya?”

“I’ll try,” Muscles grunted and groaned as Prompto’s bottom clenched down on him with each squeeze on his throat. “Damn... Now this is good. So hot... and tight.”

“No—!” Prompto was struggling now, in between the pain of the rejection and his windpipes being crushed, fingernails clawing at the hand pressing down on his throat in maniacal hysteria. His eyes watered—he couldn’t breathe. But no matter how hard he resisted, the hand wouldn’t budge; instead, they pressed down harder, and with the lack of oxygen Prompto felt his consciousness started fading away rapidly.

He coughed out and wheezed, trying to stay awake, but his mind numbed. All he could hear now was the roars of men around him as he lay there, unmoving, and then the blur of the body towering him toppling down and the pressure on his neck disappeared. The next thing he knew, he was cradled in strong, familiar arms that emitted a really nice scent. A strong, distinctive Alpha scent, one that resembled Noctis’s scent so much. But there’s no way that he would be here, right?

He then heard shouts and more noises, but Prompto closed his eyes, and once again, he let himself fall into the darkness, lulled by the illusion of Noctis’s scent and warmth around him.


	11. intermezzo 2: disagreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio learns that being bonded isn't really all rainbows and butterflies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. i terribly suck with gladnis; that's all i can say OTL. the beginning starts off smooth until the latter half, where it just... spirals out of control. please forgive me. OTL

_Anxiety. Nervousness. Wariness_.

The three feelings that were certainly not his swirled inside Gladio’s head as he watched Ignis’s back, calmly standing behind Noctis as the young boss summoned his gun with a spark of blue and pressed the muzzle against the temple of the traitor they just caught.

Gladio certainly didn’t expect being bonded to be this... _intense_. Ignis always looked so calm in outside; so composed and level-headed, even in dangerous moments. He didn’t expect that Ignis, despite his calm exterior, would be this emotional internally.

It was only a short interrogation. Those wusses gave up the location fast, and true to Ignis’s information source, they were still keeping Prompto in the storehouse in the west district. Noctis snorted, leaving the men behind as he stored his gun back to the Armiger.

“Ignis,” Noctis turned back slightly. “Go tell Nyx. I want him to come with me to the west district now, with Gladio as well. We’re going to bust their asses tonight; no more delay. I’ll trust you for the preparation.”

“Wait, Noct,” Ignis stopped him. “I’ll go with you and Gladio, instead of Nyx.”

“No,” the dark-haired Alpha shook his head once. “I can’t put you to danger as well. Prom’s been caught because of my carelessness, and I won’t let it happen again with you.”

A flurry of _determination_ washed over Gladio, and for a moment there, he felt a surge of pride at how strong his Omega was. “It’s alright, Noct,” he helped. “Let Ignis come with us. He’s your right-hand man—it will appear more suspicious if he doesn’t come with us.”

“And leaving the Citadel with just Miss Iris as a trusted Alpha will be extremely dangerous,” the Omega added. “Of course I’m not doubting her abilities, but Nyx should stay here to guard instead, as well.”

Noctis paused, seeming to think it over. “Alright,” he finally said, and _relief_ flooded Gladio’s mind. “We’ll go in thirty minutes. I’ll leave the preparation to you two.”

Ignis and Gladio nodded, and Noctis left them both. Silence befell the corridor for a moment, before Gladio steeled his resolve and then enveloped Ignis in a hug from behind.

“G-Gladio,” Ignis was caught off guard by his act. “What are you doing?”

Ignis hadn’t changed his clothes after he went back from his meeting with the tipper, and from his shirt cuffs there was a slightly familiar Alpha scent, and he growled low before he could stop himself. “...you’re meeting with _that_ Alpha again.”

His Omega tensed beneath his arms. Ignis was always careful not to reveal this source to Noctis, but Gladio had scented the same Alpha scent a few times before. And smelling another Alpha from _his_ Omega certainly roused his possessive instinct. “...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ignis replied.

“We’re bonded, Igs. I can basically feel you and grasp what you’re thinking, you know,” the Alpha said. “You’ve been extremely nervous after you met with the tipper—if you’re not willing to tell Noct, then at least care to tell your _mate_ about it?”

He knew perhaps his _jealousy_ was bleeding through, but he couldn’t bring himself to truly care. Ignis seemed flustered.

“Gladio, it’s nothing like that,” he interrupted. “What are you being jealous for?”

“You’re my bond-mate now, and you’re meeting with another Alpha. _Alone_ ,” Gladio growled. Without giving any time for Ignis to react, the Alpha’s arms tightened around him and bent down to latch his mouth to Ignis’s bonding mark, still raw and fresh from two nights ago, teeth scraping against the skin. Ignis shuddered and leaned to the touch; his Omega side melting at the presence of his Alpha although his rational mind cursed at it.

“I swear, it’s nothing. We just sat down and talked, and drink coffee—it’s nothing weird.”

“But still, you’re meeting with an Alpha,” Gladio emphasised again. “They knew, right?”

“Six, Gladio,” Ignis ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly. “Yes, they knew. My scent is dulled anyway because we bonded, so can you stop being so embarrassing and let me go already?”

With a low rumble of laughter, Gladio released him. Ignis didn’t look particularly amused, but there was a slight blush on his cheeks. “...sorry,” the Alpha murmured. “...I guess I let my instinct took over. There’s the Alpha smell on your clothes, so they must have touched you, and I just... lost it, I guess.”

Ignis sighed. “Trust me, Gladio, even if I decide to commit infidelity, I won’t do it just two days after we bonded,” he said, straightened his crinkled shirt. “It’s... really no one, you know that. They meant nothing to me other than a source of information.”

Of course Gladio knew that, but it irked him knowing that Ignis was withholding things from him. “At least give me their name; that’s all I need for now.”

The Omega gave him another long sigh. “It seems that you’re not going to give up until I tell you.”

“Nope,” Gladio chuckled.

“Fine,” Ignis stared at him. “Promise to me that you won’t tell Noct. She... basically doesn’t want any more exposure than she has now,” he bit his lower lip. “It’s Aranea Highwind; I was meeting with her.”

Gladio’s eyes widened slightly. “Igs—that Alpha—isn’t she _dangerous_?”

“She holds her own ethic codes and I respect that; in turn, she respects me and provides me with the information our Family needs,” Ignis answered.

“She used to work for the Aldercapt, Igs. We don’t exactly know her motives; until now, she never seeks protection from a Family. She might be plotting to revive the Niflheim faction.”

“It’s easier for her... line of work to stay unaffiliated to any Family,” the Omega replied. “And like I said, she holds her own ethic code. As long as we remain as her ally, she won’t betray us; I made sure of it.”

Gladio opened his mouth to argue more, but Ignis shook his head. “We don’t have time to argue about this,” he said. “There are things best kept to yourself, Gladio, and Aranea’s one of my best weapons. I don’t want to lose her as an information source.”

Gladio gritted his teeth. There was so many questions he wanted to ask Ignis, and he was sure that Ignis could feel his irritation as well, but he’s right. Prompto was their first priority right now; they could argue as much as they want later.

“Fine,” he finally said. “We’ll talk about this after we rescue Prompto.”

Ignis didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “I’ll go prepare for our departure,” the Omega turned and walked away.

Gladio watched his back until Ignis turned to a corner and disappeared. He sighed; guess he still had to adjust to this whole bonding thing first.


	12. rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops it's been a few days since i last update, sorry OTL real life caught fast, i was in money trouble for a while so i have to withhold my fic writing.
> 
> also forgot to mention this but i imagine in my head that Noct still has the Crystal power without having... the Crystal. call it special gift to the Lucis Caelum Family, i suppose. the armiger and warp capabilities are still available to him. (doesn't make sense i know, but... this is AU anyway (❁°͈▵°͈) )
> 
> anyway just two more chapters to go after this! :D reunion comes next.

Noctis tapped his feet impatiently against the carpet of the car until Gladio grunted at him for it, annoyed. “Be patient, will you?”

“...too long,” Noctis murmured. Ignis’s source had been right; there were traitors in the Family. They did a surprise sweep in the Citadel earlier and found out that a few members that originally were under the west district’s control had tried to run away; a little bit of intimidation and pressure was all it took for them to crack and reveal where their leader had kept Prompto. “Prompto’s been gone for too long; 24 hours, and still counting. I should’ve been more cautious.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ignis said from the driver’s seat, eyes still trained forward to the road. “We have no way of knowing that there’s been a coup from inside. It’s a good thing that we didn’t hastily point fingers to other Families—it could end up badly.”

“Possibly the result they’re hoping for, too,” Gladio added, frowning. “The Head Family’s mate missing and tortured, weakening the Head itself, and then if we accuse other Families to be the culprit, war will be inevitable, and thus, they can take over the Family easily.”

“Pretty clever, I should say.”

“Let’s save this talk for later, after everything has been settled,” Noctis interjected. “Hurry up; I want us to arrive before midnight.”

Ignis complied and step on the gas, and the car glided smoothly through the city of Insomnia, straight towards the west district to one of the warehouses that was managed by the Lucis Caelum Family.

Their visit was a surprise, of course. Only a handful of people knew where they’re going—Nyx, Lunafreya, and Iris. At first, Noctis wanted to bring Nyx and Gladio with him, but Ignis pointed out that leaving the headquarters with only a trusted, high-ranking Alpha was too dangerous. Plus, it would look suspicious if Ignis wasn’t with him; considering the older Omega was his right-hand man, aside of Gladio.

The warehouse was deadly quiet at night; not unusual, but Noctis could feel the tense air surrounding them. He summoned a dagger from his Armiger, for the sake of checking; satisfied that everything was in order, Noctis nodded at Ignis and Gladio, who nodded back, and they entered.

They were greeted by the leader of the west district; Canna, who just raised in the ranks and was appointed as the leader of the west district, to replace the previous one. “Good evening, Sirs,” he saluted Noctis. “To what do I own the pleasantries of your visit tonight?”

 _Typical of a flatterer_ , Noctis thought, as he suppressed the urge to punch the smug look off his face and opted to give him a smile instead. “Just in for regular checks,” he said. “With the recent... _attacks_ on the west district, I thought it might be a good idea to drop in and see for myself what happened here.”

“Everything’s in order, Sir, don’t worry,” Canna followed him from behind, seemed anxious when Noctis start treading the warehouse. “As for the attacks... It’s no longer our concern; I... took care of them.”

“That’s great to hear. What did you do?” Noctis asked. He walked deeper towards the back of the building, where the offices were placed, tall, plain metal staircases leading to them. However, the click of a gun and the sharp sound of metal being pulled made him stop.

“...now, I don’t advise you to act so carelessly,” came Ignis’s calm voice, “if you still value your life... _traitor_.”

Noctis turned back to see that Ignis had the man restrained, with his summoned daggers pinned to his throat. The gun that was pointed straight to his head now never had its safety released as Gladio brought his own gun to Canna’s temple. “Dammit!” he cursed. “I’ve planned this for months—for _years_! How the fuck did you know—it must be that Highwind Alpha, isn’t it?! I should’ve been more careful—!”

“Whatever you’ve planned, it failed,” Noctis hissed and stepped forwards, knocking the gun off his hand and pulling his collar. “Now tell me where the fuck you keep my Omega, and I’m going to make your life hell after this.”

Canna gave him a low, sinister chuckle, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. “Right; your Omega,” he snorted. “How does it feel, Caelum? All his pains, his cries... It’s so entertaining when my men fucked him and he cried out for your name... He’s bonded to you after all; the rejection pain might be too much for a weak Omega like him, right? Heheheh... _Ahahahahah_!”

Noctis gritted his teeth, his fist flying to give the psycho a punch on the face, but Gladio caught it. “Stop it, Noct. He’s not worth your time.”

“Leave him to us,” Ignis added. “Go and find Prompto instead. You should be able to locate him quicker than us.”

The dark-haired man clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he complied. Giving his two subordinates a small nod, he headed towards the offices. The nerve-blocking medicine Ignis had forced him to take before they depart from the Citadel should be wearing off by now—they acted as a temporary blocker to his link with Prompto, so that he wouldn’t feel Prompto’s pain. Until now, he hadn’t been able to sense Prompto for a while, and that made him nervous.

He ran up the stairs, summoning his dagger and gripped it tightly on his hand, treading carefully. He kept his breath silent, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible against the metal staircase as he sharpened his hearing. On the third floor, there were two men standing by the door, and with a well-calculated warp he managed to immobilise them without so much as half a yelp out. He stood by the door and pressed his ears against it, trying to listen, when suddenly he felt a pressure on his neck. It wasn’t anything life-threatening, but considering that currently there was nothing around him...

“ _No—!_ ” He could hear Prompto’s panicked cries from inside the room. Noctis’s eyes widened; his hands moved to jiggle on the handle, only to find it locked. Stepping back, he kicked the door open and forced his way in.

What he saw inside made his blood boil in rage. Prompto was naked and lying on his back on the floor, and there was an Alpha towering over him, a hand pressed to the Omega’s throat as his hips stuttered against Prompto’s. The men around him gasped in surprise at his appearance; some tried to attack him, but all he could focus on now was Prompto.

His Omega. Defiled by some scumbag Alpha. His crying and the _panic_ inside Noctis’s head.

Noctis let out a roar, threw his dagger towards the Alpha hurting Prompto and warped towards him, dislodging him from the blond and knocked him aside. Noctis’s arm reached for Prompto and cradled his Omega close as the others started surrounding him, each wielding a knife or a gun on hand.

“You will pay for what you’ve done to _my_ Omega,” Noctis hissed. He picked up the dagger he used to kill the Alpha from his neck, blood pooling fast under the limp body.

“He’s just a weak Omega; a former member of the Aldercapt Family!” Someone screamed. “I bet you just keep him close because he’s a good fuck for you!”

Noctis expression darkened. “And you’re going to pay for what you’ve called him as well,” he murmured. “So you’ve seen the brand on his wrist. So what? Does it matter that he’s formerly from Niflheim? Besides, you think we _don’t_ know that?”

“What—“

“I don’t just take some stray Omega as my bonded. I’ve known about him since we bonded,” Noctis smirked. “If you think that you can shake me by telling that my mate is from the enemy, then thank you for nothing.” He let his blade disappear back to the Armiger and in its place came a gun. “Now, _begone_.”

He pulled the trigger and let the bullet burst into one of the men’s head. Without pause, he continued shooting, one shot to the head each, and when the magazine was empty he stored it back to the Armiger and summoned a new, loaded gun. Some of them tried to retaliate, pointing their weapons to Noctis and Prompto, only to find their demise quickly with a bullet on the head. Some retreated in fear, scurrying out the door and down the stairs. Noctis let them be, though—Ignis and Gladio were downstairs, and they wouldn’t let them pass.

It was over in a blink of an eye—the room was now silent, a few corpses lying around, and finally Noctis could focus back on his mate. Prompto had passed out; there was a deep, dark finger marks on his neck, and his pale body was littered with bruises. His scent gland on the back of his neck, where Noctis had put on his bonding bite, was bleeding and marred with teeth scars. Given the right treatment they would fade in time, since Noctis had laid claim on him first, but it pained him to see his usually sweet, cheerful mate had been abused so badly like this.

Noctis took off his jacket and covered Prompto’s naked body with it, and slowly picked him up to his arms, careful not to jostle him too much. He could feel the wetness trickling down Prompto’s thighs, and he hoped that whatever it was, it wasn’t blood.

He slowly descended the stairs, back to the ground floor, and saw that a few more people had joined Ignis and Gladio. Noctis recognised the one leading them, though—the tall, handsome figure with pale, unruly silvery hair unlike his sister—the current head of the Nox Fleuret Family, Ravus.

“Noct!” Ignis was the first one to spot him, and he ran towards him and Prompto, followed by the others. His green eyes widened when he saw the smaller Omega unconscious on his arms. “Prompto—“

“He’s fine. He’s just... unconscious,” Noctis explained. “But we need to get him to the hospital fast.”

“Then, Gladio, you stay here,” Ignis said. “Help Ravus with the clean-up—“

“No need to,” Ravus cut him off. “My men and I can handle this just fine. Just go and take Prompto away from here.” He then directed his gaze towards Noctis and narrowed his eyes. “If I were you, I wouldn’t let my Omega be taken away so easily. You can’t even protect the one closest to you; why do you think you can protect the whole Family?”

“Why you—“ Gladio raised his tone, but Noctis stopped him.

“It’s okay, Gladio. It’s the truth anyway; I let Prompto be taken away because of my carelessness,” Noctis bowed his head down slightly, surprising the older Alpha. “But I take my role as the head of the Family very seriously. I hope that you won’t break our Family’s partnership because you think that I’m incapable of leading the Lucis Caelum Family.”

Ravus stared at him for a while. “My sister will never forgive me if I break our Family’s partnership,” he finally said. “Just go and take care of your Omega for now. I’ll inform you when I’m done cleaning the mess here. “Oh, and also—“ he turned back. “—I’ll make sure the leader will be sent to the Lucis Caelum headquarters afterwards, unscathed, so you can have fun with him.”

Noctis grinned. This was why Ravus was one of his favourite ally. “Thank you,” he said. “Igs, Gladio, come on.”

The pair looked at each other, their expression reluctant, but they finally nodded and followed Noctis back outside towards their car to bring Prompto to the hospital.


	13. reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is so cheesy, i swear... but we got prompto and noctis to meet again. finally! after 12 chapters! XD
> 
> there'll be one more chapter left from noctis's pov, please look forward for it~

When he opened his eyes, everything was dark.

Prompto groaned as he tried to move his arms, only to find out that he couldn’t. Panic set out, thinking that somehow his captors had him restrained again, before a gentle hand touched his. “Prompto,” someone called his name, and Prompto turned.

His vision was blurry, and the lack of lights didn’t help much, but the familiar dark shadow looming over him and the voice... “...Iris?” he whispered.

The shadow nodded. “I’m so glad you finally wake up,” she said, pulling a chair to side of his bed and sat down, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “You’ve been asleep for two days; everybody’s worried.”

“Two...” Prompto tried speaking, but his throat was dry and his mouth felt like sandpaper. Iris was quick to grab the jug of water on the bedside table and poured him a glass, slowly helping him to drink it, one sip by another. He felt much better afterwards.

Iris nodded. “Yeah, Noct refused to leave your side after you arrived at the hospital. Ignis just managed to coax him to go back to the Citadel and freshen up for a bit, and left me here to stay with you.” She smiled, putting the empty glass back to the table. “How are you feeling? Do you think I need to call the doctor?”

Prompto shook his head weakly. “Just—“ His voice was caught on his throat. “Just... N-Noct. Can... Can you ask him to come? I-I mean, he doesn’t have to, if he’s still tired...”

“Shush,” Iris tapped his arm gently. “Don’t say that; Noct will come for you. I’ll text big brother to let him know that you’re awake. In the meantime, you good with me?”

Prompto nodded once. After the assault he had been subjected through, just having a strong, familiar Alpha on his side seemed to calm him down, although of course no one would have substituted Noctis’s presence. “How—how about the people...?”

“...who abducted you? They’ve been taken care of, don’t worry. The Nox Fleuret Family helped as well, from what I heard from big brother,” Iris’s expression turned grim, but she still maintained a sliver of smile for Prompto. “As for the details... I’ll let Noct explain it to you. He feels obligated to apologise to you and... your baby for what’ve happened.”

The blond gasped silently. “He knows...? Oh...” Right. He had left the hospital examination report on his desk in the bedroom; his mate was bound to find out sooner or later. Even if he didn’t, the fact that he was in a hospital right now would have revealed it. Then it suddenly downed on him. “The baby!” He sat up too quickly, and groaned when his body protested in pain. “I-Is the baby—“

“Prompto, calm down!” Iris stood up from the chair and slowly helped him sit. “It’s alright, the baby’s fine. The doctors did a thorough check of you and the baby, and everything’s fine. It’s you who needs to be worried of... The bond you have with Noct tortured you so much, your mind might need extensive healing,” the grim expression on her soft feature deepened. “Are you sure you’re really alright?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine, really,” Prompto sank back to his pillow, relieved. “T-Thank Astrals. The baby is safe. I don’t know what to do if... If—“

Iris patted his back gently when Prompto’s body started trembling. “It’s alright. You’re safe now, Prompto. Can you take a deep breath for me? Don’t stress yourself out too much—it will be bad for the baby as well...”

Prompto nodded. He slowly complied, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. Now that he wasn’t riddled with the pain from the rejection, he realised that the murmur of Noctis’s feelings were back inside him again—and he felt a mixture of _panic_ and _relief_ at the same time, but also... a deep, bubbling _anger_ inside.

He fidgeted with the sheets. “...I can feel Noct again,” he said nervously. “He’s angry. Why is he angry?” Prompto bit his lower lip. “Is he angry at me? For not being able to take care of myself? Or... for not telling him about the baby?”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not about those things,” Iris sighed. “Noct blames himself a lot after the incident, you know. It’s nobody’s fault but the bad guys, but you two act like both of you are the only ones responsible here. While it’s adorable to see your thoughts synced like that, negative thinking is never good for anything!” She put both hands on her hips.

“But—“

“No buts!” Iris cut him off. “Prom, you know that Noct loves you very much, right? You’re the one who know it the most. After all, you’re connected to him,” Iris touched his chest lightly. “So don’t doubt it. Have confidence in yourself. Alright?”

Before Prompto could even offer a response, they heard hurried footsteps like someone was running in the hallway and the voice of a panicked nurse, asking whoever it was to stop running. They didn’t, though, and a few moments later the door towards Prompto’s room was slammed open, revealing a very dishevelled, wide-eyes and panic-looking Noctis. “Prompto!” he gasped for breath as two nurses came in.

“No running in the hallway, young man, and keep it down, unless you want to be thrown out!” One of the older nurses hissed to him, and the Alpha apologised, looking embarrassed. Iris and Prompto looked at each other before they broke into small chuckles.

The nurses finally left after Iris explained to them that Noctis was Prompto’s bond-mate, and she also left, leaving Prompto and Noctis alone in the room. “...Prom,” Noctis said as soon as the door closed, dropping his jacket to the sofa in the room.

“...Noct,” Prompto greeted back, smelling the familiar scent of Noctis’s Alpha—the same scent that was present before he passed out. _So it really wasn’t a dream_ , he thought, and the relief it brought made him cry. “Noct, I—“

He was enveloped in a hug before he could finish the sentence. Noctis’s lips were on his, kissing with such fervour that Prompto felt slightly dizzy. They parted for a while, gasping for breath, before the dark-haired man swooped down and kissed him again, holding him tight.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis whispered when they parted, his hand running through Prompto’s hair as they stayed close. “I’m sorry, Prom—“

“No...” Prompto shook his head. “It’s... It’s not your fault. Just—“ he took a deep breath. “Thank you... for finding me. Thank you for finding _us_ , Noct. I was scared that I couldn’t see you again—“

“For you, I’ll turn the whole world upside-down to search for you,” Noctis growled, tightening his grip. “I swear, I won’t let you face any more danger like that. You, and our child.” He stroked Prompto’s face, wiping away the remaining tears. “Although... I understand if you change your mind. The mafia world— _my_ world—isn’t very forgiving, and I get it if you want to quit—“

“Noct, _no_ ,” Prompto stopped him. “I... I said if when we first bonded, didn’t I? You’ll be stuck with me for the rest of your life,” he let out a short laugh. “You won’t get rid of me so easily. I know all the risks; and yet, I still accept it, because I want to stay by your side. I love you, Noct,” Prompto kissed Noctis again. “I won’t have anybody else.”

“...that should be my line,” Noctis pouted slightly, and Prompto could feel the _embarrassment_ from him. “Stop stealing them.” But he pulled Prompto into his hug again, and his feelings opened up like a dam for the blond. The _worry_ , the _relief_ , the _regret_... Noctis’s presence had never felt so reassuring for him.

He’s finally home; back to Noctis’s arms once again.


	14. home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this chapter officially ends Horizon Linked!! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و please don't mind my terrible smut
> 
> i'd like to thank everybody who has dropped comments, kudos, bookmarks, or simply coming in to read! they really mean a lot to me (●˙▿˙●)

Noctis watched as Prompto threw himself on the bed in their quarters as Noctis put down their belongings. “Woohoo! I miss this bed!”

Prompto had been released from the hospital the day after he regained consciousness. Ignis thought it might be better for him to recover in their own quarters, surrounded by familiar scents and scenery, rather than in a hospital room. Overall, Prompto _looked_ good, but Noctis knew he was still hurting from the inside. It’s not easy to just dismiss a trauma like that, after all.

“Careful, Prom. Don’t want you to squish our baby,” the dark-haired man joked, but he joined Prompto in the bed and snuggled his Omega close, breathing in his scent. The mellow, soothing scent like fresh-cut grass and warm sunshine.

Prompto squirmed slightly. “N-Noct, that tickles,” he said, when Noctis started sniffing his hair. “A-And stop sniffing me. I probably smelled really bad... F-From the assault from the Alphas... And the hospital.”

At that, Noctis gave him a growl. “It doesn’t matter. You’re _mine_ ,” he said, possessively, as he tightened his grip around Prompto. His mouth hovered dangerously towards the bond mark on Prompto’s nape—now covered in several teeth scars, still healing—and gently mouthed at it, making the Omega gasp.

“I know...” Prompto murmured, shuddering when Noctis’s breath tickled his neck. But... A-At least let me take a shower first, and then we can snuggle again as long as we want to... Okay?”

Noctis frowned. Prompto seemed to _want_ to avoid him. “Prom,” he rolled on Prompto and hovered above his Omega on the bed, and the waves of _anxiety_ from Prompto surfaced again inside him. “Prom, are you _scared_ of me?”

“N-No!” Prompto quickly answered, but he averted his gaze afterwards. “I-It’s just... I’ve been—“ he bit his lower lip and took a deep breath. “I’ve been... t-touched by those Alphas and Betas. You don’t... think I’m... dirty?”

Oh, _Six_. “Prompto, there’s no way in hell I’m thinking that you’re ‘dirty’,” he grunted. “I can scent you again, mark you as much as it’s necessary, to get rid of those traces, if you like. Don’t _ever_ think like that again.”

“But...” Prompto swallowed down, his gaze falling to his bare right wrist that displayed the tattoo branded to his skin; an inerasable mark to show that he’s a product of the Aldercapt Family’s cloning technology. “...they’re right when they said I’m practically your enemy. And I... I—“

Noctis stopped him by kissing him on the lips. “I don’t want to hear that kind of bullshit _again_ ,” he growled. “We’ve been through this once when we bonded. And as I’ve said, again and again, I _love_ you. I don’t care if you came from the enemy; you’re now here by my side, as my bond-mate. Or,” he slipped a hand inside Prompto’s shirt, “do I need to remind you again?”

Prompto whined and shuddered against his touch. Through their bond, Noctis sensed a slight _hesitation_. Of course, he wouldn’t force his Omega to do anything he didn’t like—but sometimes, Prompto _needed_ to be shown directly at how much Noctis cherished him.

“I...” Prompto bit his lip. “I believe you, Noct. But, it’s just... sometimes, there’s just a little...”

He deliberately didn’t finish his sentence, but Noctis didn’t need to hear it. “Yeah. I know,” the Alpha nodded. He had moved to trail kisses on Prompto’s face—on his freckled nose, his eyelids, going down to his cheek towards his jaw before nipping at his neck. “We’re connected, after all; and I’ll do whatever it needs to convince you, every single day, that I love you.”

His hand moved again to brush against Prompto’s still flat abdomen, and his mate’s shudder sent thrills in him. Inside this still flat belly, there’s a baby. _Their_ baby. Noctis couldn’t be happier.

“N-Noct,” Prompto breathed out as his hand roamed further, pushing the shirt up and exposing his body. “P-Please?”

“Please what...?” He teased and nipped at Prompto’s neck, leaving trails of hickey and his scent all over his mate again; a proof that Prompto was _his_.

Noctis could almost hear Prompto pout inside his head. “You know what I want,” the blond put his arms around Noctis’s shoulders. “Mark me... Make me yours again?”

Noctis chuckled, his lips forming a fond smile. “You’ll always be mine, Prom,” he said, before kissing Prompto’s lips again. The blond tilted his head back and let him roam inside his mouth with his tongue.

His hands made quick work on Prompto’s jeans, pulling them away along with his underwear, leaving him bare from waist-down. His half-hard cock twitched against his stomach, and Noctis drew back and drank the sight of the red-faced, dishevelled Prompto greedily. No matter how many times he saw this, he wouldn’t get bored of it.

“...stop staring,” Prompto attempted to cover himself, but Noctis pulled his hands away.

“Shush. Let me take care of you,” the dark-haired Alpha said, going between Prompto’s legs and spread them apart. Prompto gave out a surprised squeak, but Noctis didn’t warn him further before he went down and took his cock into his mouth.

He heard Prompto gasping above him, his hands tangling on Noctis’s hair as floods of feelings enveloped him. _Pleasure. Arousal. Desire. Love._ They all invaded him like a storm, and knowing that he was the one who brought out those feelings from Prompto just pleased him further.

“Noct—ah, _Noct_!” Prompto’s scent was thick with lust, and Noctis could smell the slick dripping from his mate. Releasing the cock, his mouth trailed lower until his tongue found Prompto’s hole, already wet from the slick.

Prompto keened when he swiped his tongue against the tight entrance, the fingers on his hair tightening. Noctis probed the hole with his tongue a few times, thrusting in, each one sending tremors across the Omega’s body and jolts of lust inside Noctis’s mind. When he felt that Prompto’s orgasm was close he quickly released him, making the blond whine at the loss.

“Noct...”

“Yeah,” Noctis climbed on Prompto again and kicked off his own jeans, letting it fall to the floor. “You sure you’re up for this?” His hand went to stroke at Prompto’s face, staring at his wet blue eyes.

“Y-Yes,” the Omega nodded sheepishly. “Just... Be gentle, alright? And—and can you hold me when we do it?”

Noctis nodded and moved to sit on the bed, back resting against the headboard as he pulled Prompto above him. He positioned himself, Prompto’s hand grasping on his shoulders, and he lowered his Omega slowly on his cock until Prompto was fully seated on him.

Prompto took a shuddering breath as he leaned towards Noctis, resting his chin on a shoulder. Noctis slowly stroked his back, running a hand on the soft, golden locks as he waited for Prompto to adjust.

“I love you, Noct...” Prompto quietly sobbed to his shoulder. “You—you won’t leave me, right? You’re mine... right?”

“I’m yours, Prom,” Noctis kissed Prompto’s temple. “And always will be. Remember our bonding oath? _Until death do the body and soul apart_.”

“U- _Until death do the body and soul apart_ ,” Prompto repeated as he hiccupped.

“There’s my Omega,” Noctis said. He leaned forward and gently laid Prompto down back on the bed, raising one leg up and hooking it on his shoulder—careful not to bend Prompto too much—before he started thrusting into Prompto. The pace was slow, unhurried, as the Alpha peppered kisses on every inch of skin he could reach, whispered sweet, reassuring words to Prompto, holding his Omega close.

And when Prompto came, clenching down, he felt his own orgasm coming, knot forming on the base of his cock and plugging his Omega full of his seeds, groaning as he did. Prompto’s belly was painted white with his own come, and he squirmed slightly at the forming knot. The discomfort was apparent from his expression even before Noctis could feel it, so he adjusted their position until Prompto breathed a sigh of relief.

“...thank you, Noct,” the Omega whispered, clutching at his arm as they laid on their sides, still joined.

“Sleep, Prom,” he whispered back, brushing Prompto’s hair gently with his fingers. It might take a while for the knot to subside, so it’s best to let the Omega rest. “You’re safe now; I won’t let you go.”

The blond nodded, and a few moments later, his eyes fluttered close and his breath evened quickly. He must have been so exhausted. Noctis didn’t say anything else, though—he just held Prompto close, feeling the Omega’s breath on his skin and his Alpha scent mingling with Prompto’s Omega.

Prompto was back in his arms; and he swore to himself, he would never let him go again.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me at [twitter](https://twitter.com/cup_of_comfort)!  
>    
> if you like my work, please consider [buying me a coffee!](https://ko-fi.com/cupofcomfort) even just a small bit will help /o/


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